NMRC holds pre-bid meeting for selection of consultant to install ITMS in bus service

20 May

NOIDA: Noida Metro Rail Corporation (NMRC) on Friday held a pre-bid meeting for selection of company to install an Intelligent Traffic Management System (ITMS) for the proposed bus service between Noida and Greater Noida. The ITMS will control operations, fleet management, passenger information and business management, offering better operated bus services for the benefit of commuters. The 100-fleet bus service is expected to be in place by June this year.

Officials told TOI that about five companies have shown interest in installing the system in the buses, which will connect the twin cities of Noida and Greater Noida."During the meeting on Friday, we discussed various requirements for the companies to qualify for bidding for the project," said Saumya Srivastava, Executive Director NMRC, who also holds charge of Deputy CEO, Noida Authority."Prospective consultants also clarified their queries. They have now been asked to submit their queries via email to us. These queries, suggestions or objections will be reviewed, addressed and clarified by a bidding committee by Monday May 23," he explained.

Officials further said that the tenders for the project will be finalized on June 2."While the technical bids will be opened the same day, the documents and bids will be examined in detail before financial bids are finalized and the consultant is appointed. The consultant will be responsible for supply, installation and maintenance of the ITMS," Srivastava said."Our endeavor is to have everything in place for launching the bus service at the earliest," he added.

As per NMRC officials, the ITMS is proposed to be similar to the one being used in Delhi implemented by Delhi Integrated Multi-Modal Transit System Ltd. (DIMTS)."The aim is to put into place a unified transport control system which is able to relay real-time information to the operation control centers, bus drivers and commuters," said Srivastava."Once the intelligent transport system is implemented in city buses, passengers will have an easier time commuting. LED displays will be put up at bus stops providing details of the next bus, the time of arrival and the destination. GPS monitoring of data will give information of buses to various destinations. It will also pave the way for electronic ticketing machines and common mobility cards, which can also be used in Metro trains. With more accurate bus arrival information, commuters can better plan their journeys and travel options," he explained.

The city bus service proposes to initially operate 100 buses and later augment the number. The buses will run separately from the state transport buses. Thirty buses will ply in Noida, 20 in Greater Noida while 30 buses will run between Noida and Greater Noida. Another 20 buses will be used as feeder buses for Metro Rail to provide last mile connectivity.